


I Can't Let You Go Again

by MaxJensen



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV), Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:14:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24873661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxJensen/pseuds/MaxJensen
Summary: When Clay Jensen crosses paths with Max Caulfield, their lives become...stranger. Is Max the key to Clay getting back the boy he loves? MAJOR spoilers for both Life is Strange Episode 5 and Season 4 of  13 Reasons Why. Read at your own risk.I did not create any characters in this story.
Relationships: Justin Foley/Clay Jensen
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Max Caulfield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clay and Zach meet Max and Chloe.

"I can't let you go again. I've been through hell and back to get you back and I...I can't watch you close your eyes again. I love you, Justin. I can't do this without you."

"You have to, Clay. I love you too, and it breaks my fucking heart that you have to do this again, but this is how things were meant to be. You have Jess, and Alex, and Zach, and Tony. You're strong, so fucking strong, Jensen, and I know you can do this. You have to go back and make everything the way it was before. You have to fix things. I love you so fucking much, don't you ever forget that, all right? You will always be my brother, Clay Jensen. Always."

THREE MONTHS EARLIER

It had been a year after I lost Justin. It's hard, but he - well, ghost Justin - told me to survive, to keep going. I wish he could be by my side right now. I miss his smile and his dorky jokes. Hell, I even miss those puppy dog eyes he used on me when he asked me to go somewhere and hang out with him when I was busy reading or doing homework. But things are getting better, slowly.

It hurt like hell when I said goodbye to Hannah, but I had to. I don't think I'll ever be able to let go of Justin, though. I admit, I was a little jealous of him when he lived with us. I mean, I _did_ save him from the streets, for Jessica and to testify, but I eventually learned to love him, and he loved me. Who would've thought that he went from threatening to kill me, to jumping to my protection every time I was in trouble?

"Yo, you okay man?" Zach's voice startled me out of my thoughts.

It was the first summer after going to college and I got an unexpected call from Zach, asking me to go on a road trip with him to San Francisco. It was kind of sudden, but I haven't seen him since we graduated and it would be nice to hang out again. We're at an art exhibit, surprisingly. Zach Dempsey into photography? Tyler is going to be so jealous.

"What? Yeah, no, I'm fine, just thinking about stuff." I reply.

"Justy again?" I nod. "I know, I miss him too. But he'd want us to be happy. He wouldn't want us to be moping about all the time."

It takes me a minute to think of what to say, but before I can respond, Zach hugs me. He doesn't know it, but it makes me feel much better. Maybe he did know, or maybe he just needed one too. I hug him back and we hold it for a few moments.

"Thank you, Zachy. For everything. This trip was a surprise, but I'm glad you chose me to be your partner on the road."

"Eh, Alex was my first choice, but he's too busy smooching it up with Charlie in Cali."

"Wow, they're really good together. I did not see that coming with Alex. That kiss must've been something."

"Heh, yeah, I'm just glad he's happy. He...we've all been through a lot."

We're interrupted as someone bumps into us.

"I'm sorry, excuse me" a brunette girl says as she and a taller girl with green hair, tattoos and punk rock clothes squeeze past us. She reminds me of Skye.

"It's no problem. This place is a little crowded. Hey, do I know you?" I say to the shorter girl.

Before she can answer, the punk girl speaks up. "It would be hella surprising if you didn't. She's Max fucking Caulfield!"

"Chloe! Be nice!" the brunette scolded her.

I laugh. "Max Caulfield! Yes, you won the Everyday Heroes contest in 2013. My friend Tyler is a photographer and he won last year. Oh, I'm Clay, and this is my buddy, Zach."

"Sup." Zach says, which makes me roll my eyes.

"Hi, Zach!" Max says as she waves at him. "Would it be okay to look at your friend's work?" She says to me.

"Nosy, nosy Max". Chloe says, making me, Max and Zach laugh.

"Shut up, Chloe." Max says as she playfully punches the punk in the arm.

"Yeah, sure." I reply back. I take out my phone and go to Tyler's Instagram, swiping through his photos as Max watches. "He always had his camera out. Be it a normal day or something crazy was happening, he'd be...taking...pictures."

"Are you all right? Who's that?" Max asks, pointing at the picture on my phone.

I came across a photo of me and Justin that Tyler took. We're smiling. Happy.

* * *

_"Wow, that was a good photo, you guys!" Tyler said, showing us the Polaroid photo._

_"Thanks, man. But Justin, Tyler didn't tell us to make a stupid face" I teased._

_"Oh fuck you, Jensen." Justin rolls his eyes and pinches me in the arm._

_"Hey, Clay."_

* * *

"Clay." I'm brought back to the present when I hear Max calling my name.

"Yeah? Oh, sorry. Uh, Justin. He was my brother. Well, enemy to acquaintance to best friend to adoptive brother. He um, had a difficult life growing up, and just when things were getting better for him, he...he got sick, and it was too late to save him. He died holding my hand."

"I'm so sorry, Clay. Chloe and I, we've dealt with loss too. We know how you feel, so if you ever need to talk to someone..."

"I don't need to talk, okay? I tried that, it doesn't help. I need some air." I lashed out at Max and start to walk away. I didn't mean to, but when I think of Justin, I think of how I could've saved him, and I get angry. I hope they know that I didn't mean it.

I found an empty room and sat down. I jumped as a I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." It was Chloe. "Look, you don't have to talk right now, or fucking ever if you don't want to, we totally get that. But we are here for you. Max and I, we've seen some fucked up shit. Shit we can't even explain, but it brought us closer together. You're not alone in this, man."

"I loved him. So much." I felt tears start to roll down my face. "We hated each other in the beginning. Hell, he wanted to murder me." I look over and Chloe looks freaked out. "Long story. Anyway, he ended up being the person who I went to when I felt like my world was ending. He was my hero, and then the world took him away from me, and I can never get him back." I lose it and fall into Chloe.

"Hey, it'll be okay, man. I promise. He loved you, don't you ever forget that."

"Never" I said between tears. 


	2. A New Power?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, after not using her powers since 2013, discovers a new power.

Max's POV

I stay with Zach as Chloe follows Clay. I told her to give him some space, but of course she doesn't listen.

"Will he be okay?" I ask Zach.

"Yeah, he just gets like that sometimes. He didn't mean to go off like that." He said sadly. "It sucks seeing him like this. We lost good people. He's getting help, though."

"I'm sorry again. They looked happy, Clay and Justin."

"They really were. It's crazy. When they came into each other's lives, they didn't like each other. But Clay, being the hero he is, saved Justin when he became homeless, and he took care of him. And just when they were finally free, and happy, a disease came out of fucking nowhere and tore them apart. Poor dude can't catch a break. He's always saying he wishes he could go back and save Justin. I know he would if he could."

I look down at my right hand. Would I be able to...? When I look back up at Zach, Chloe is standing next to him. She must've overheard some of that. She gives me a look. She doesn't say a word, but I know exactly what she's thinking: _No, don't even think about it._

Clay joins us again. "Hey Clay." I say to him as I smile.

"Hi. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"It's no problem. I'm used to it with Chloe."

"Well fuck you too." I hear Chloe say as I snicker.

"Thank you, both of you. I really am glad I ran into you. Hey, would you like to exchange numbers? You know, in case we ever want to look at art again, or something?" Clay asks, shyly.

I can see Zach shaking his head from the corner of my eye. "Yeah, of course." We share our numbers and shake hands. My vision goes wonky and the sound starts to fade. Oh fuck, not again.

* * *

_"Thank you for saving my life. Like, more times than you know. I love you."_

_"I love...love you...you too, man."_

_"I'm sorry. Um...are you afraid?"_

_"Yeah...I am. Will you hold...will you hold my hand...bro?"_

_"Yeah."_

* * *

"No!" I cry out, finding myself back in reality. This can't be happening again.

"Max! What's wrong?" Chloe says.

"I need...Sorry guys, can I talk to Chloe in private for a bit?" I ask to Clay and Zach.

"Yeah, sure." Zach replies as they go into the next room.

"Yo, what's going on babe?" Chloe says concerned.

"It...it happened again."

"What did?"

"When I shook Clay's hand, I had a nightmare and went back in time...but...I didn't go back into my past. I think I saw Clay's past...to right before Justin died. It was so horrible, Chloe. Justin looked heartbroken, and terrified out of his mind, and I could...feel the same from Clay. I could feel his emotions. His fear, his sadness, his...his grief."

"Hey, Super Max, it'll be okay. We'll figure this out."

"How do you know that? It's been seven years after everything that went down in Arcadia Bay, and I haven't used my powers since. I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk causing another tornado, or something worse, and losing you again. Why does this have to happen to me, of all people? What did I do to deserve this?"

"I don't know what you did, Max. I don't know why Arcadia Bay chose you to have those powers, but you used them for good! You didn't mean to destroy the town, but don't forget, you helped get justice for Rachel, and Kate! You even took Jeffer-shit down. You're a motherfucking hero, Max. I'd rather you have those powers than some rando who would use it to take over the fucking world."

"Chloe, either my powers are growing again, or I'm meant to help Clay. I don't know what to do."

"Well whatever you do, I'll be by your side. I promise."

"Always."


	3. Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback shows what Clay and Justin did together on the night of Christmas Eve.

Clay's POV

December 24th, 2018. 6:00 PM

"Get your head out of that book, dork. It's Christmas Eve. Let's go watch a movie or something." Justin interrupts my reading of The Outsider.

"Nooo." I groan. "Go hang out with the guys or something. I don't want to lose my train of thought."

"Don't make me count to three, little bro. We are going to hang out and you are going to enjoy yourself. Our parents hate seeing you cooped up in our room, especially on Christmas Eve."

"You can't make me."

"One."

"It's not gonna work, Justin. I need to finish my book."

"Two."

"Justin, go away."

"Three." 

He yanks the book out of my hands and kneels in front of me, and uses _the_ eyes.

"Come hang out with your big bro, will ya, ClayClay? He's lonely and he needs some company. Pwetty pwease?"

"Okay, fine. You win."

I never would've known that manly Justin Foley was secretly so soft. I'm glad that he opened up to me after all this time. 

"Ha! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. It always worked on Jess."

"Yeah, yeah. What do you want to do?"

"You know what? Let's order some pizza and Chinese food, and have a Christmas movie marathon."

"Sounds good to me. I have a whole box of Christmas tapes."

"Of course you do."

"Shut up." I say as he laughs.

* * *

December 25th, 2018. 2:00 AM

I wake up to the faint glow of the television. I must've dozed off during the last movie we watched. I feel Justin leaning against me, asleep, confirmed by the snoring in my ear.

"Justin. Hey. Let's go to our beds."

I need my bed, but I don't want to wake him up. He looks so peaceful, so I let him sleep for just a little longer. I find myself dozing off to sleep again. Let's just sleep here.


	4. Today I Met a Time Traveler / Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max begins to tell Clay about the week that changed her life, and learns that he might be able to bring his brother back, but it won't that easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote Chapter 5, but it was too short, so I attached it to Chapter 4.

Clay's POV

While waiting for Max and Chloe to come back, I decide to text Tyler.

_Guess where I am, Tyler!_

_Hey, Clay! Where are you?_

_The Zeitgeist Gallery, in San Fran._

_No...way!_

_Yep! And Zach's with me!_

_Zach? Dempsey? I don't believe it._

_I know! That's what I said!_

I see the girls start walking back towards us. 

_Hey, Ty. I gotta go. Talk soon?_

_All right! Take a pic of Zach as proof._

_I miss you guys!_

_Sure thing! We miss you too._

"Hey guys." I say to the girls as they join us again.

"Hi again. Sorry about that. Clay, can we step outside? I want to explain some things."

"Um, sure, yeah. Chloe, keep an eye on Zach for me?" I tease the boy.

"Ha. Ha." Zach says back.

I see Max give a look to Chloe, and Chloe nods her head. What's going on?

"Wait, hold on. Say cheese!" I say to Zach.

"Cheese!" Zach gives a goofy smile and Chloe photobombs. I take the photo for Tyler. The group will never let him live that down.

* * *

Max and I go outside. We find a park not too far from the gallery, and sit down at a bench.

"Good, there's nobody around." The girl says. She looks nervous. "So, first things first... I have powers."

"Powers?"

"Yes. I can rewind time."

 _This bitch is crazy_ , I thought.

"Wait, what? Are you guys fucking with me? Did Zach put you up to this?"

"No, I know it sounds crazy. But I can prove it." I start to feel uncomfortable, so I reach for my phone to text Zach where I am in case something bad happens. Subtle, Clay. Very subtle. Shit! I must've put it down somewhere in the gallery. "Is this what you're looking for?" She asks.

Max has my fucking phone. I got mugged.

"How...how'd you get that?" I ask back.

"I told you. I can time travel. You don't remember, but I asked you to hand me your phone, and then I rewound time. Anything in my possession stays with me when I rewind."

"This...this is insane. Can I have my phone back, please?" Without hesitation, she hands it to me. I turn around to walk back to the building, and suddenly she's in front of me again. "Aah! What the fuck?"

"Don't freak out, Clay. This is a lot to take in, I know. When I first discovered my powers, I just about had a mental breakdown. Chloe is the only other person who knows about them, so I need to trust you. Please."

"Okay. But why are you telling me this?"

"Because...I can help you get Justin back."

"You...you what?" I say to Max, unsure if I heard her correctly.

"Yes, it's possible to bring him back. But there are consequences."

"Fuck the consequences, Max! I need him back. Please."

"Clay, listen to me. Have you heard of Arcadia Bay?"

"That town that got destroyed by a random tornado? Yeah, what about it?"

"That's the one. Chloe and I are from there. I was forced to move to Seattle when I was thirteen years old, and five years later, I moved back to go to school."

"Max, I'm sorry about the town, but what does this have to do with Justin?"

"I'm getting there. I...I watched Chloe die. I was in the bathroom, and she was murdered right in front of my eyes. I jumped out, and ended up back in the classroom moments before. That's how I discovered my powers, and I used them to save her. Are you still with me?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so." I replied, confusedly.

"Good. Throughout that week, I learned to control my powers, but I was fucking with time so much, that it caused strange things to happen. Random snowfall, birds falling out of the sky..."

"And a tornado..."

"Exactly. Chloe and I made it to the lighthouse overlooking the town, and she asked me to go back in time and let her die to fix the timeline, but...I couldn't. I couldn't just let the memories we made throughout that week fade out of existence. I needed her, but I let hundreds of people die to a fucking tornado, including our friends and her parents."

"I'm sorry. When you said that you dealt with loss, I wasn't expecting it to be this bad."

"I know, but...I need to warn you. If we try to get Justin back, it could have consequences. You have to be careful. Are you willing to risk it all for him?"

"Yes. He's my...he's my...what the fuck?" I suddenly feel dizzy, falling over. The last thing I remember before fading to black is Max catching me.

_"Clay!"_

_I hear a familiar voice behind me call my name. It can't be... I turn around._

_"Just...Justin. Oh my fucking god! Justin!"_

_I run to him to hold him, to feel him in my arms again, but I wake up back in the park._

"Clay, what happened?" Max asks.

"I...I had a vision, or something. I saw him, Max. I saw Justin."


	5. I Am a Time Traveler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max teaches Clay how to use his newfound powers.

"I...I had a vision, or something. I saw him, Max. I saw Justin." I say, terrified but relieved that I almost got to hold my brother again.

"Wowser..." She says back to me.

"What?" _...Wowser? Who says that?_

"Clay, don't freak out."

"Max, what's going on?"

"I think you have my powers..."

"You think...what?"

"I had a vision right before I got mine. I mentally jumped forward five days into the future and saw the tornado. What did you see?"

"I...I don't know. It was dark, and loud, but I heard his voice, and I turned around and he was there. Max, he was there! Alive!"

"That's great, Clay! Seriously!"

"I...I ran to him, but I came back before I made contact. I was so close."

"We'll find a way, I promise. But first, I need you to do something. Do you trust me?"

"I guess I have no choice. What do you want me to do?"

She finds a stick on the ground. "See this stick? I'm going to throw it. After that, I want you to hold out your hand, and command the stick to go back into my hand. Imagine it's like you're watching a movie, and you hit the rewind button on the remote."

"Okay, I'll try." She throws the stick, and I do what she says. I imagine it flying back to her. Suddenly, it feels like something is twisting around in my head. The stick goes backwards, back to Max. "Holy shit." I just rewound time.

"What, Clay? Did you have another-"

"No, it fucking worked! What the fuck?!"

"I didn't even throw it yet...Is this what's like from the outside?"

"You did throw it, and I made it come back to you! Max, how did this happen? Why do I have your powers?"

"I have no idea. I think it started when..."

"Started when what? What happened?"

"Clay, after we exchanged numbers, when I shook your hand, I was catapulted to the past, but...your past. I saw, from your eyes, what I think was your last talk with Justin..." 

"Oh my god. I'm sorry. It was hard enough for me to experience that myself."

"Trust me, I know. I felt your emotions. I never jumped into another person's body before, so this is new for the both of us."

"So what now?" She gives me a look. It's hard to tell if it's hopeful, or worrisome.

"I know a way you could see Justin. But Clay, this will be in the past. You have to be _very_ careful. If you make one wrong move, you could change the present and accidentally make it so we never met, and you'd have no way to contact me."

"I got this, okay? I'll be careful. I just need to see him."

"All right. Open up that photo that Tyler took of you guys, and I want you to focus on it. Really focus on it. Imagine yourself there again."

"Ok." I go back to Instagram and look at the photo. I listen to Max, and focus on it. It's like I can hear voices coming from the photo. Before I know it, everything becomes a blur.

* * *

"Wow, that was a good photo, you guys!" Tyler said, showing us the Polaroid photo. Oh...my...god. I look around. We're in the gym at Liberty again. The walls are just a blur, like they're out of focus.

"Clay?" I turn to the voice.

"Justin..." Tyler walks away to take photos of the other students.

"What's going on, man? You look like you've seen a ghost." Justin says to me while ruffling my hair. It's him. It's really him.

I struggle to find the words to say. Before I know it, I jump at him and wrap my arms around him, holding him tight.

"Whoa, whoa! Jensen, what the fuck is happening?" He's confused, but he hugs me back.

"Nothing, I just...I love you."

"I love you too, bro. Where did that come from?"

I want to tell him about what happened, and to get tested, and stop it before it's too late, but Max's words float in my head. 

"I just wanted you to know that."

"I know that, Clay. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

It's so hard not to tell him that he shouldn't make that promise, but I can't risk it, not yet. I smile at him, and he smiles back. I miss that Foley smile. Everything fades.

* * *

"Hey again, are you back?" I turn and see that I'm back with Max in the present.

"Yeah." I can't hold it, and I hug Max as I cry. I saw my Justin again.


	6. Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Clay talk. Clay gets a surprise call from Tony.

Max's POV

Clay and I sit for a while. I understand that things need time to sink in, especially for him. I discovered my photo-jump ability a couple days after I got my powers, and Chloe wasn't even dead. Clay, all in the course of an hour, had a vision, learned how to rewind, traveled to the past and talked to his dead brother. I can't blame the boy for being stressed.

I stand up and walk around for a bit. "Hey," I say to Clay. "this is a nice shot. May I take a photo of you?" At least I have the audacity to ask permission these days.

"Sure, why not?"

I take out my handy instant camera and aim it at him. He gives the peace sign and manages to give a smile. I take the photo and sit next to him again.

"So, how are you feeling?" I ask him.

"I'm not really sure. There are a lot of feelings. I'm glad that I got to see him, but sad that it only lasted a few moments before reality kicked in, and a little angry at myself for not telling him that he was sick, but...I didn't want to end up coming back to a different, possibly worse present and not knowing how to fix it."

"Trust me, I know. When I photo-jumped for the first time, I changed something in the past because I thought it would fix everything, but it made things much worse, so I had to go back and make it right again. That's why I'm telling you to be careful."

"I get it, I will be. I promise."

I smile at him. I manage to get a pained smile back.

"Are you ready to go back inside?"

"Yeah. I'm ready."

* * *

Clay's POV

A couple of hours passed after we met Max and Chloe. I didn't tell Zach about my powers, because I was already having breakdowns last year, and I don't want to freak him out. We're in our motel room hanging out and finishing dinner. 

"I'm gonna go chill in the pool for a while. Coming?" Zach asks. 

"Maybe in a bit. I'm just going to lie down and listen to music." I reply back. 

"Cool. I'll be outside if you need me. Hey, Clay?" 

"Yeah?" 

"You know I love you, right?" 

"Yeah, I know. I love you too, Zachy." I say with a smile. 

After he leaves, I put my earbuds in and hit the shuffle button on my music app. "Are You Bored Yet?" by Wallows starts playing. 

I get out of bed and start rocking to the music when suddenly my ringtone interrupts. It's Tony. 

"Hey, Tony!" 

"Hi, compañero, how are you doing?" 

"I'm doing pretty okay today. How are you?" 

"I'm pretty good. Caleb came to stay with me over the weekend. He says hi, by the way."

"Tell him that I say hi back. I'm happy that you're happy, Tony."

"That means a lot to me, man. What about you? Any new girls, or guys in your life?"

"What? Tony you know I'm not gay."

"I know, I know. People can realize when they're older. I just want you to accept yourself no matter what. By the way, just because a guy likes another guy, it doesn't mean he's gay."

"I know, sorry. Return of the Unhelpful Yoda" 

"Este hijo de puta."

"What did you just call me?" 

"Nothing, nothing. Hey, Caleb just finished cooking dinner. I'll call you later, Clay." 

"All right, it was nice catching up. Bye."

I hang up the phone. It's low on battery, so I put it on the charger and go outside to hang with Zach.


	7. Stay Here With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a flashback, Clay has a nightmare.

October 13th, 2018 - The night before the anniversary of Hannah's death

* * *

I'm stuck in a maze. A maze of hallways, and lockers, and flickering fluorescent lights. Most doors are locked. The doors that aren't, they open up into more hallways. Out of the corner of my eye, I keep seeing my friends, but they aren't my friends. Jessica, Sheri, Alex, just...watching me from just out of view. Their words clash together in my head.

_"You killed Hannah, Clay. "_

_"You could've stopped her."_

_"You let her down."_

"No! I didn't let her down!" I yell back. "We all did! We all could've stepped up and saved her, but we didn't. We let Bryce destroy her."

I can't escape. They're trying to make me feel the guilt, to make me blame myself again. I know that I walked away from Hannah, but she told me to, and I didn't want to hurt her any more than she already was. I can't blame her, because she was falling apart, falling apart long before I could try to help fix her. But it was too late. No, it isn't just my fault. We all had a chance to be there for her. It's not my fault.

_"You sure about that, Clay?"_

This voice...it's not one of the voices jumbled in my head. Bryce.

I turn to the voice. Unlike the others, I can see him, standing there at the end of the hallway.

"Go away, Bryce. I'm not afraid of you."

_"Oh, poor little Clay. You're a terrible liar. You're terrified, just admit it."_

"No...I'm not scared. This is a dream, you can't hurt me."

He starts walking towards me. Suddenly, I feel immense dread. My feet are stuck to the floor, but I manage to lift them up and try to run away. I turn around and see _her._

_"YOU KILLED ME!"_

* * *

"Yo, Clay!" I wake up drenched in sweat. Justin is next to me, holding my hand. "Hey, hey. Clay, you're okay man. It was just a bad dream."

"It was my fault." I say with tears in my eyes.

"What was your fault?"

"I killed Hannah. It was all my fault."

"Clay Jensen, don't you dare say that. It was all our fault. Every single one of us, but mostly Bryce. There was nothing you could've done to stop her from taking the path she was already on. Don't...blame yourself. Okay?"

"I'm sorry. It was just intense."

"I understand that. Will you be okay?"

"I don't know. I don't think I can get back to sleep after this."

"You know what? Move over."

"What?"

"Just move over. I'll stay here with you until you fall asleep again. Nothing is going to hurt you when I'm around, I promise."

I move towards the wall as Justin climbs in the bed next to me.

"Thank you, Justin. I hope this isn't too weird for you."

"It's fine, just don't tell anyone about this. We don't want them assuming anything."

"Trust me, I won't." I lie my head on the pillow and try to rest, knowing that I'm safe and protected with him next to me.


End file.
